


Steeped

by OMGitsgreen



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Relationships, F/M, Fantasizing, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, I'll add more chapters when I want to, Implied Sexual Content, Lust, Pre-Canon, Sexual Fantasy, mostly because these lovable dorks write themselves I swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-05-14 04:49:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5730121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OMGitsgreen/pseuds/OMGitsgreen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It was that feeling of admiration and respect which tugged her into love, while Yun-Ho merely had trysts with the daydreams of pursuing. As a concept it was beautiful, in practice it was messy. Yun-Ho read novels, gossiped with court ladies, she knew the difference between desire and fact." When Yun-Ho first lay eyes on General Geun-tae she had fallen in love, and so began a journey to become closer to her beloved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Steeping

**Author's Note:**

> Alright y’all, it’s time for the Geun-tae/Yun-Ho fanfiction you all didn’t know that you needed. Basically this is my version of how they met/the beginning of their relationship. I figured one of the few canon relationships deserves more fanfiction. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“It’s him,” a girl dressed in butterfly wing patterns and breezy silks whispered against the lobe of Yun-Ho’s ear, another girl grasping Yun-Ho’s arm in a vice grip as the object of their affection stood proud and dark against the midmorning sun as he barked orders to guards in the courtyard. A smile flashed (perhaps more of a baring of teeth), golden eyes caught in the sunlight, as swords clanged and guards cheered. He was a war god forged from battle and from training, his muscles and instincts forged sharp. Everyone in the tribe knew the tales of his conquests, could recite his list of accomplishments by heart. Perfection, Yun-Ho could not help but breathe. He was perfection in every facet of his being.

“Lord Geun-Tae, isn’t he so handsome?” The other girl giggled, and Yun-Ho felt her cheeks warm. Thoughts she wouldn’t ever dare share with anyone steeped like tea leaves in her belly, weighting her down and imbuing her with a certain flavor of desire she had never felt before. Tall, shoulders so wide, fingers long and the way his robes dipped—

“Hmm?” Yun-Ho hummed, trying to laugh it all off with an ambivalent smile before redirecting. “You have both served him, haven’t you?”

Yun-Ho was very much in love, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself. Her eyes always caught him in the hallways, her heart fluttered undeniably against her chest, but Yun-Ho knew the extent of her feelings and her position. Love was sweet like honey on the lips, but to the nerves it was unbearable. Yun-Ho admired him, admired his shoulders, his smiles, his quickness to temper. His emotion was deep and seemingly unbearable. It was that feeling of admiration and respect which tugged her into love, while Yun-Ho merely had trysts with the daydreams of pursuing. As a concept it was beautiful, in practice it was messy. Yun-Ho read novels, gossiped with court ladies, she knew the difference between desire and fact.

At the same time, Yun-Ho thought as she continued to gaze on at broad shoulders that could seemingly carry the world and a jaw sharp like sin, listening to the other ladies-in-waiting as they giggled and gossiped on about their chances, there was certainly no reason to stop herself from desiring.

* * *

Yun-Ho first served Lord Geun-Tae after being chosen to be the designated tea pourer for him at his meetings. The position was ridiculous sounding, but well sought after. Being chosen had meant she had come out on top of the competition for having the steadiest hand and as head lady-in-waiting explained, “the lowest affinity for mucking something up just to get Lord Geun-Tae’s attention”.

Sometimes staying quiet really was of a benefit, Yun-Ho could help but think with a coy smile she hid beneath her sleeves. 

On the fourth occasion of her new position as she walked behind Lord Geun-Tae, her eyes drifting from the swish of his ponytail that she only wished to undo, to his back. As her eyes continued their regular movement down, she noticed a hole near the bottom of his robes.

“My lord,” Yun-Ho called to him, making him pause in his walk before she motioned to it. “I’m sorry I just noticed that, would you allow me to quickly fix it?”

“How?” He asked confused as Yun-Ho quickly pulled out the spool and needle she kept at her side pocket of box of tea-making materials. Lord Geun-Tae allowed her to quickly stich up the spot (her begging her fingers to remain steady and true in the face of such stress), and she just as quickly put away her materials hiding her sigh of relief.

“If you make sure your robes are folded to cover it, no one will be the wiser,” she told him firmly.

“Thank you, Lady Yun-ho,” Lord Geun-Tae praised, and Yun-Ho felt her cheeks warm and she resisted the look of shock that was obviously showing on her face.

“You know my name?” She blurted out, and Lord Geun-Tae looked back, blinking in apparent surprise, as if the answer to her question were so obvious that he couldn’t believe she had asked it in the first place.

“Of course I do, you work for me,” Lord Geun-Tae said before beginning to walk forward at a quicker pace than before. Yun-Ho jerked and quickly had to remember how to work her legs properly. Yun-Ho couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips.

“Do you remember everyone’s names, my lord?” She asked him curiously, keeping up with his steady marching.

“I try to, you all make this castle run don’t ya? It’s the very least I can do,” Lord Geun-Tae asked rhetorically his gruff tone and obvious discomfort at having been caught twisting his features and making Yun-Ho giggle at the almost boyish furrow of the brow and purse of his lips.

“That’s very sweet of you, my lord,” Yun-Ho told him, at this point utterly charmed and nearly beaming at him. By the Gods she couldn’t help but think, he was absolutely perfect! She wished she could keep him!

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Lord Geun-tae almost groaned. “Stop prattling on about it, you’ll give me a headache.”

“Yes, my lord,” Yun-Ho nearly sung, thinking that perhaps it was a trick of the light that his ears were a little red.

* * *

Yun-Ho would like to think nothing had changed between them after that point. Yun-Ho was content to look upon him from afar after all (at his broad shoulders, his waist, the way his hair slightly curled). Yun-Ho had seen no need to try to change what already made her happy, anything more would just be selfishness after all. However things did not go as Yun-Ho was expecting. Yun-Ho continued to be called to Lord Geun-tae’s side for meetings, eventually she became somewhat of his personal lady-in-waiting. Her position was enviable of course, but no one had quite explained the new found position’s origin to her (every time she tried to ask the head lady-in-waiting all she got was a suspicious smile). But things were wonderful for certain! Yun-Ho had never dared to dream of spending every day in Lord Geun-tae’s presence, eventually speaking daily, being on familiar enough terms to smile and joke. Really, it was all a bit of a dream come true.

(And in her dreams, the ones she would never admit to having, it helped her perfect her craft. She thought that by knowing him more deeply maybe it would fade but it grew stronger and stronger by the day. It helped her to immortalize the exact cadence and warm tones that washed over her like summer rain. It led her to imagine his fingertips slender and calloused moving over her skin and making her shudder, made his exact scent of his hair cause her to squeeze her thighs. It was always Lord Geun-tae, there could be no other, there was none that could be the equal in her heart and desire that grew more and more. Yun-Ho was so greedy, she would do anything just to stay by his side a moment longer, but she could not bring herself to regret even a single moment of it—! )

“Lady Yun-Ho?” Lord Geun-Tae’s voice startled her as she was bringing his tray of afternoon tea, surprised she stumbled forward a step as he foot caught on her skirt, only have her hands and tray be caught by his hands. “Woah!”

“I…forgive me Lord Geun-tae,” Yun-Ho said as she got her bearing back, for a moment his chest pressed to her back sending shivers skittering down her spine, his palms rough and warm and calloused against her knuckles.

“No forgive me for startling you,” Lord Geun-tae apologized with a clear of his throat as he backed away. “Who is that for?”

“You, forgive me for not placing it in your room sooner, you are out from training abnormally early,” Yun-Ho said as Lord Geun-tae gave her a rather wild smile.

“Well it doesn’t take long to beat new recruits into line in my garrisons,” Lord Geun-tae said nearly beaming with pride before his expression faltering a bit and spitting out with near poison. “It’s too bad I’ll never be able to lead them into battle.” 

“Isn’t it better not to have war though?” Yun-Ho asked him as they walked side by side, and Lord Geun-tae surprising Yun-Ho by lifting the tray from her grasp.

“Ha! Real peace is one thing, this is nothing but a lie,” he sighed.

“My lord that’s mine to carry!” Yun-Ho whined, trying to swipe the tray, only for him to hold it above his head.

“As if I’ll have a woman carry my own trays for me, I’m not a boy,” Lord Geun-tae said with a roll of his eyes. Yun-Ho laughed and threaded her fingers behind her back.

“You are just as sweet and cute as one,” Yun-Ho pointed out, watching as Lord Geun-tae’s face blazed an adorable shade of red and he spluttered,

“Who are you calling sweet and cute?!”

“You of course,” Yun-Ho giggled, watching as a smile tugged at Lord Geun-tae’s lips before he shook his head.

“You’re weird,” Lord Geun-tae said with a huff as he brought down the tray from above his head and looked at her with a chuckle. “You know, for a kid, you’ve got a lot of gall. Come back to me when you’re a woman with that attitude.”

“I’ll have you know, I’m already a splendid woman,” Yun-Ho informed him proudly. “I am nineteen after all.”

The tray clattered to the floor and Yun-Ho stopped and stared at Lord Geun-tae’s equally surprised expression. His jaw dropped as he pointed at her in utter shock and somehow looking a bit upset.

“How old are you?” Lord Geun-tae demanded.

“I just said I’m nineteen!” Yun-Ho said, placing her hands on her hips before huffing. “How old did you think I was?”

“I thought you were fifteen for sure!” Lord Geun-tae groaned before throwing his hands up. “Alright, well, that makes things easier.”

“Things?”

“So, are you going to accept my courtship or not?” Lord Geun-tae asked impatiently.

Yun-Ho rocked back on her heels. Certainly she hadn’t heard that right. Courtship? Accepting? This wasn’t what she had expected of the day.

“What?” She asked, unable to summon any expression to her face.

“Well, I thought you were younger so I was going to wait until however long, but well,” Lord Geun-tae cleared his throat. “Like I said, this makes it easier in the end.”

“You want to court me?” Yun-Ho blurted out. “Me?”

“Well, yes. Ugh!” Lord Geun-tae said rubbing his hair desperately as his face flushed. “This isn’t going as I wanted at all! Listen, I’ve had my eye on you for a while. You can think on your feet, you are always prepared, we talk and I like the sound of your voice and you are a good woman from a good family. I know I’m old and I’m not really much of a catch but maybe if you would like—“

Yun-Ho immediately grasped his hands, her eyes brimming with tears as she sniffed back her sobs of happiness. Yun-Ho immediately brought her hands to her cheeks sharply, the stinging reminding her that she was awake and making Lord Geun-tae jump at the sharp sound.

“Please ask me right now,” Yun-Ho said, grasping his hands.

“Wait ask me what?”

“Ask me!” Yun-Ho requested of him.

“…will you allow me to court you?” Lord Geun-tae asked nervously.

“Yes!” Yun-Ho said before immediately bursting into tears.

“Woah! Wait! Stop crying—fuck! You’re making it look like I’m bullying you!” Lord Geun-tae said, before reaching over to wipe her tears with his sleeves. “Come on now.”

“I’m so happy I could die,” Yun-Ho told him, her heart squeezing and her tears still falling. To her surprise she suddenly felt Lord Geun-tae’s arms wrapped around her and pull her close, sealing them from hip to chest. It was so deliciously warm and good that Yun-Ho never wanted to let go as she listened to the heart pounding against her ear, and smiled.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lord Geun-tae muttered dismissively.

Yun-Ho knew she could not mistake the tightening of his arms around her.


	2. Boiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was that feeling of admiration and respect which tugged her into love, while Yun-Ho merely had trysts with the daydreams of pursuing. As a concept it was beautiful, in practice it was messy. Yun-Ho read novels, gossiped with court ladies, she knew the difference between desire and fact." When Yun-Ho first lay eyes on General Geun-tae she had fallen in love, and so began a journey to become closer to her beloved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suppose you could call this a second chapter as Geun-tae/Yun-Ho fics tend to write themselves, but as always I think that my favorite canon married couple deserves more fic! 
> 
> Enjoy!

To say that Yun-Ho had been giddy for the past couple of days would be an understatement (officially she had been Geun-tae’s wife for about fifteen days but who was really counting). Her wedding had been utterly perfect, there was nothing that Yun-Ho had lacked or desired more. Her mother and father had both cried, Geun-tae had been so handsome in his fine robes, and Yun-Ho was so happy that she had felt as if happiness would burst out her skin.

But of course, she couldn’t stop thinking about one aspect of that day—or rather night. And perhaps that was the problem, as it was very distracting for most other portions of her day.

Yun-Ho was just getting used to being called, “Lady Yun-Ho” by her previous co-workers. And being Lady Yun-Ho came with the responsibility of running the entire house. The head housekeeper was understanding nearly to a fault, helping run through everything that needed to be cared for in the Chi’shin castle. Lady Yun-Ho was now in charge of organizing and supervising meals, the upkeep of the gardens and the rooms, of the styling of every tapestry and vase in the premises, and Yun-Ho was just catching up as things went along. Not that she wasn’t thankful, because she needed the extremely welcome distraction.

Yun-Ho was rushing along the hallways trying to sort out some sort of disaster involving a broken vase and shattered heirloom when she caught a glimpse that had her freezing in her place. Geun-tae (her husband, Yun-Ho reminded herself, but only caused herself to flush even more) standing amongst the soldiers and barking orders. The top of his robes were tied around his waist, sun glinting off the sheen of sweat upon his muscle-carved tanned skin. Yun-Ho’s face was nearly boiling with heat, because suddenly her thoughts dipped somewhere very unladylike, recalling a very fresh instance where those toned arms were around her, she could touch the sweat dewed skin of neck, hear his moans in her ears—

“Yun-Ho” Geun-tae’s voice called out, jerking her from her ill-timed thoughts with a sudden backlash of embarrassment, his golden eyes caught hers as Yun-Ho bowed and then sprinted away, “Yun-Ho, wait where are you—“

“I’m sorry, my lord! I’m very busy,” Yun-Ho called back as she rushed along the hall, nearly tripping as she half skipped backwards before disappearing into the darkness of the inner castle. 

“By the name of the Gods don’t kill yourself!” Geun-tae called back to her concerned.

Yun-Ho just kept her face half-buried in the sheets.

* * *

It became a well-timed dance, a sort of awkward courting. At night, Yun-Ho shared her bed with Geun-tae. She would bath and perfume her skin, dress in the pretty shifts within silken sheets. Yun-Ho would stay terribly awake, her nerves on edge as Geun-tae half stumbled in nearly delirious with tiredness from his constant physical activity. Yun-Ho would lay on the edge of the bed, feigning sleep as she felt Geun-tae slide in, reached other to pull her close, fingers tracing her waist, lips pressed sweetly against her neck. And then the touch was gone, Geun-tae would turn over and fall asleep—

_( — I want you to touch me, Yun-Ho wished to gasp. Touch me, touch me. Please touch me, I don’t care—but you do. Don’t you? Is it bad to want? I want you, do you want me? Tell me, please tell me, touch me—)_

—Yun-Ho said nothing, and tried to fall asleep in vain.

* * *

“Yun-Ho,” Geun-tae finally caught her after exactly twenty days after their marriage. It was after lunch and Yun-Ho had been half-way out the door to organize something of meager importance when he had caught her by the wrist.

“Lord Geun-tae?” Yun-Ho couldn’t help but ask, unable to place the dark look within his eyes.

“Yun-Ho, have I done something wrong?” Geun-tae asked directly with little grace, and almost a growl of frustration. Yun-Ho stared at him, at the very attractive definition of his jaw, the adorable furrow of his brow. “Are you upset at me?”

“What?” Yun-Ho asked surprised and worried. “Of course you haven’t, I’ve never been happier! You are absolutely wonderful.”

Geun-tae’s cheeks flushed adorably pink, and Yun-Ho wished to squeeze his cheeks and kiss him, though Yun-Ho was sure he would be cutely angry at her if she stated such things (and another moment with Geun-tae’s flush surfaced yet again from where she desperately put it, causing Yun-Ho to inadvertently shift away).

“I don’t understand how your brain works,” Geun-tae groaned before saying, “well if you aren’t upset, then why have you been avoiding me?”

“I haven’t—“

“Yun-Ho, really, do you think I’m that dense?” Geun-tae demanded, and it was Yun-Ho’s turn to flush.

“I…I’m not! I promise I’m not, I’m just…”

“What? What is it? Just spit it out!” Geun-tae demanded before finally Yun-Ho clapped her hands over her burning cheeks. No, she couldn’t say it. She couldn’t, if she did Geun-tae would hate her. But she couldn’t just leave things the way they were.

“Geun-tae, please forgive me, I’m…I’ve…you’ve turned me into a lecherous woman!” Yun-Ho suddenly cried, unable to help her hot face and nearly burning eyes and the pit in her stomach.

“Wait _what_?” Geun-tae yelped in complete disbelief before nearly spluttering. “Wha—what? How—how did I do that? What are you talking about you idiot?!”

“Ever since our marriage night I can’t stop thinking about you embracing me, even though I shouldn’t because it isn’t pure but I can’t help it! You’ve turned me into a shameless woman and I don’t want you to hate me!” Yun-Ho tried to explain desperately, and Geun-tae’s face was nearly as red as his.

“You—but you, you mean you—“ Geun-tae gasped before suddenly throwing his hands up in the air. “I swear you are one of the most incredible women I’ve ever met, I honestly can’t believe this. You dolt, of course I want to sleep with you. I just, I don’t do this whatever it is we have. But please just tell me these things, don’t worry about non-issues like this anymore.”

“So does that mean you’ll take responsibility,” Yun-Ho couldn’t help but ask, half-serious and half in jest. Geun-tae just rolled his eyes and reached out to hug her.

“Oh just be quiet,” Geun-tae grumbled like an affectionate purr. “Yes, fine.”

“I love you,” Yun-Ho sighed against his shoulder.

And she meant it, she really did.


	3. Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was that feeling of admiration and respect which tugged her into love, while Yun-Ho merely had trysts with the daydreams of pursuing. As a concept it was beautiful, in practice it was messy. Yun-Ho read novels, gossiped with court ladies, she knew the difference between desire and fact." When Yun-Ho first lay eyes on General Geun-tae she had fallen in love, and so began a journey to become closer to her beloved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my friend another-miracle on tumblr requested a Geun-tae/Yun-Ho minific a while back but since I really can’t help myself here’s a whole actual fanfiction for you. My first Geun-tae centric fic in my Geun-tae/Yun-Ho series. I hope that you enjoy!

Geun-tae didn’t know much about women.

He would admit it openly, not that it would be a shock to anyone. He hadn’t been around many of them throughout his life, nor had he ever tried to put in the effort to learn. He had originally noticed and courted Yun-Ho because of her quick steady hands, her thoughtfulness, and her ability to know what he needed before he did and to always understand what he was saying even when others didn’t. She moved with him, their like-mindedness was born from their differences, and sometimes he wondered if Yun-Ho was just a part of himself that he had misplaced and then thankfully had found once more.

Not that he would ever say that to her, she would take that in an embarrassing way and Geun-tae was sure he would never live it down. 

Yun-Ho was a woman, a very girly one at that. She loved pretty patterned fabrics, shiny jewels, sweet tea cakes, and floral tea that made his nose wrinkle. All of which Geun-tae had a rather potent dislike of. But those things were the things that made Yun-Ho happiest, which was all that mattered in the end. So if she were always on the lookout for plain fabrics and normal tea for him, Geun-tae at least tried to supply Yun-Ho with the choices and merchants that she would find most pleasing to her very feminine sensibilities. Geun-tae knew he wasn’t always…pleasant to live with, so it was really the least he could do for his wife.

But that day, it was his devotion to that certain cause which was causing him trouble.

His wife’s face was barely popped out of their sheets, her cheeks flushed with fever and her breath hitched with coughing. The physician assured him it was nothing but summer cold, and only required rest and tea, before leaving them alone in their chamber. Geun-tae sat himself down upon the edge of the bed, reaching out to place his hand upon Yun-Ho’s forehead. Her skin was hot but pale against his fingertips, and Yun-ho sighed against his touch as he brushed her sweat-dampened hair from her forehead. 

“So it is true that idiots catch colds in the summer,” Geun-tae told her wryly. Yun-Ho stuck her tongue out at him.

“Lord Geun-tae, that joke was in poor taste. Can’t you see that I am dying?” Yun-Ho asked dramatically as she threw an arm and a grand gesture, and Geun-tae resisted the urge to smile.

“Well, you might wish to tell me now which fabric you should like to be shrouded in,” Geun-tae said, pointing to the ridiculously patterned and bright fabrics hanging on the other side of the room. Yun-Ho’s giggle was sweet and bright, before she turned her eyes to him.

Oh no, Geun-tae thought to himself and literally feeling himself prickle. Almond shaped and sparkling, the deep color of a doe’s and giving him _that_ look. He knew what _that_ look meant, and it only meant trouble. Geun-tae honestly could never resist _that_ look…not that he would ever tell Yun-Ho that.

“There is only one cure for me, Lord Geun-tae,” Yun-Ho told him conspiratorially. “Please fetch me some tea.”

“Alright…I shall call the attendants then—“

“No, no, no! That certainly won’t do! I want you to pick out a tea for me,” Yun-Ho said with a wide smile before cupping her own flushed cheeks. “I’m so excited to see what kind you get for me!”

“What? Me? I know nothing about tea!” Geun-tae groaned.

“Seeing you flustered is very cute,” Yun-Ho told him with deadly seriousness and Geun-tae felt his eyebrow twitch. “You wouldn’t deny me this when I’m sick in bed would you?”

Geun-tae gave Yun-Ho a long look, meeting her gaze. She was having fun and making fun of him at the same time, a thing that most men would never dream of. Ordering the general of the earth clan and the mightiest warrior who had ever lived to get tea for you certainly took a lot of nerve. But that nerve was also something Geun-tae liked about Yun-Ho (and he wouldn’t ever admit that to Yun-Ho either). 

“ _Fine_ ,” Geun-tae said with an exasperated sigh before leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead and then flick it. “But get some sleep in the meantime.”

Yun-Ho pouted, before laying back down. Geun-tae left the room and proceeded to issue the strangest order of his entire life.

* * *

Three of Chishin’s most esteemed tea merchants were present in his household by the time the hour was up. Each man was sweating and obviously horribly nervous in Geun-tae’s presence, and Geun-tae couldn’t help but take pride in that fact (after all, hanging around Yun-Ho so much was enough to make even him consider that maybe just maybe he was just an oversized puppy rather than a fierce general and warrior even if it was just for a moment and Geun-tae would also never tell Yun-Ho that ever). 

“My lord, we were expecting Lady Yun-Ho,” the first tea merchant said as he mopped his face with his silk handkerchief.

“My wife is currently ill,” Geun-tae explained curtly. “She’s asked for me to choose for her a tea.”

“We’ve each prepared our best herbal teas,” the second merchant said as he wrung his hands.

On that note servants brought cups of each of the teas. Geun-tae took a deep breath before picking up the first one in front of him. It would have been pleasant, if Geun-tae wasn’t immediately affronted by the absolutely horrible taste of perfume and oranges. Geun-tae controlled his breath, trying his best to not show his desire to throw the cup at the merchant’s face. Thankfully a servant had prepared water to wash the taste out of his mouth. The second one was like the first tea, but this time the orange had taken on the aftertaste of flower petals being shoved into his mouth. He actually gargled the water, watching as all three merchants winced.

At this point, Geun-tae was willing to bet that bashing his face into the wall repeatedly would leave a much more pleasant taste in his mouth. How on earth did Yun-Ho stomach this stuff, Geun-tae couldn’t help but think. He lifted up the third cup to his lips, expecting the absolute worst.

The worst didn’t come.

Granted it was still disgusting, but far more palatable than the first too. Ginger was a pleasant warm hum, and though the lemon made him want to twist his face up he could at least deal with the sourness and the aftertaste of mediciney licorice rather than the constant assault of rosebushes being stuffed up his nose. He held up the cup.

“What’s in this one?” He asked the third merchant who looked at him with wide, scared eyes.

“I-It’s a blend of lemongrass, dried lemon, and ginger. Balanced with licorice root, fennel seeds, and silver needle white tea,” the merchant explained. “I-It’s m-meant to be a gentle aid to healing and health.”

“Have it bought,” Geun-tae ordered Yun-Ho’s ladies-in-waiting.

“Yes my lord,” the ladies-in-waiting said, all of them sharing smiles.

Geun-tae opted to ignore those.

* * *

“Oh Geun-tae, this blend is absolutely lovely,” Yun-Ho said, leaning against Geun-tae on the pillows he had brought out. Even though Geun-tae had told her to get back into bed, she had refused stating she was bored in bed, so he had brought in the tray and moved their little table to the center of the room. Currently her pale fingers were curled around the cup in front of her and savoring the warmth. “Though…normally when you brew tea you should allow it to brew for a little longer, Geun-tae.”

“I didn’t make it,” Geun-tae spluttered, and Yun-Ho just giggled before setting herself in his lap. She looked up at him so fondly that it almost made him blush as she lifted up his hand to reveal his burned fingers.

“And then where did you come by these?” Yun-Ho teased him. Geun-tae just grumbled and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his face in her hair, and Yun-Ho leaned against his chest. It was comfortable, warm, and just what both of them needed apparently. “I’ll show you properly next time.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, love you too you little pest,” Geun-tae told her.

Geun-tae wasn’t looking, but he knew she was smiling.


End file.
